Before he agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Jameis Winton reportedly received an offer from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Quarterback isn’t something the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be worried about for the 2020 season. They’ve got Ben Roethlisberger under contract for the next two years and it’s assumed by most that he will remain the Steelers starter for the remainder of his time with the team.
However, upgrading their backup situation behind Roethlisberger is apparently something Pittsburgh has been looking into this offseason.
On Sunday, Jameis Winston reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints according to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson. But before Winston decided to join the Saints, he reportedly had an offer on the table from the Steelers according to BucsReport.com’s Nick Sitro.
If true, Pittsburgh would have landed a much better backup quarterback for 2020 than what they currently have on their roster. Winston is someone who could’ve potentially replaced Roethlisberger down the road if he actually decided to sign with the Steelers instead of joining Drew Brees in New Orleans.
Yes, Winston has struggled at avoiding turnovers during his time in the NFL. But this is an aspect of his game that can be corrected with the right coaching and at 26-years-old, he still has plenty of time to get another shot at being a solid starting quarterback in the league.
With Winston now no longer an option, Pittsburgh is left with Mason Rudolph as the favorite to land the No. 2 job behind Roethlisberger next season. In eight starts last year, Rudolph helped lead the Steelers to five wins.
Pittsburgh might say they are satisfied with Rudolph being their next option behind Roethlisberger for 2020. But if the report about them giving Winston an offer to join the team is true, then the Steelers are clearly still searching for a better option as their backup.